


Meet and Greet

by unorigelnal (jayburding)



Series: Death in the Family AU [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-08
Updated: 2012-06-08
Packaged: 2018-02-08 20:38:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1955391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayburding/pseuds/unorigelnal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason meets Tim for the first time, when Tim comes looking for Robin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meet and Greet

“Batman needs you.”

There are few times Jason has been caught completely off guard. This is one of them.

“Who are you?” he asks, incredulous, as the kid with the oversized camera perches next to him on the wall. God, he’s tiny. He doesn’t look old enough to be out on his own.

“That’s not important,” he says, fidgeting with his camera. It’s an expensive piece of tech, if Jason’s any judge. Hardly a kid’s toy. “I’m not important. You are.”

It was Jason’s turn to fidget. The almost worshipful look on the kid’s face was uncomfortable.

“You’ve got the wrong guy, whoever you are,” Jason tells him, slipping down from the wall. The kid follows him down, barely making Jason’s shoulder when he stands up straight.

The kid reaches out to touch his arm, awkward, likes he’s not used to touching people. Jason feels his fingers trace over the bulky edges of the brace hidden under his jacket. His wrist aches instinctively.

“You’ve been favouring that wrist since you reappeared,” the kid says. He pats the brace gently, oh so gently. Jason can’t feel it through all the padding, but he still allows it. He shouldn’t, but a careful touch is a rare thing these days.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, kid,” Jason says, finally shaking him off. He shouldn’t have left it that long. The kid’s gonna get the wrong idea. “The whole fanboy thing’s real cute, but you’ve got the wrong guy.”

“Jason, I know you’re Robin.”

It takes a lot not to freeze, but Jason manages. He glances over his shoulder. “What did you say your name was?”

“Tim.” Short name for a short kid. Figures.

“You need to drop this and go home, Tim,” he says as he walks away, intending that to be the end of it.

“I can’t,” Tim says as he follows. He has to jog to keep up with Jason. “We need to help Batman.”

Jason laughs. It isn’t a pleasant sound. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Tim, but Batman doesn’t want help. Haven’t you seen the shit in the papers?”

Somewhere along the way he forgets he’s meant to be feigning ignorance. It’s not like it matters at this point anyway.

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t need it,” Tim replies, adamant. Just what Jason needs, a fanboy who thinks he can change the world. It wasn’t that easy. It never was.

“Enough,” he snaps. He doesn’t have the patience for this. Everything’s gone to hell and he doesn’t need some brat to tell him that. “I don’t know where you’re getting this from and I don’t care. No one can help the Bat unless he wants it, and the last people he’s gonna want help from are two nobody kids.”

Tim flinches, but doesn’t back down. The kid’s got a spine to match his audacity. Great.

“You’re not a nobody, Jason,” he says, earnest enough to make Jason feel ill. “You’re-”

“For god’s sake, will you just stop!” The kid reaches out to him again, but Jason slaps him away. He’s not in the mood for this. “I am not Robin! There’s only ever been one Robin, and that guy’s long gone. Get it through your thick head!”

He runs then, because his vision’s blurring and the last thing he wants is for a stranger to see. It’s none of his business. None.

Tim doesn’t follow this time.

Bruce isn’t home when Jason gets to the Manor. He’s no longer surprised.


End file.
